Soft Drinks Made Easy

Why are Soft Drinks important?

Soft Drinks are important across all occasions. From natural fruit juices at breakfast and sparkling options with meals, to mixers, carbonates and energy drinks for those late nights out. 

• Soft Drinks are the number 1 drink consumed with food.* 
• Soft Drinks are drunk by all ages and across all day-parts.
• Soft Drinks are the number one alternative to alcohol.**

Over 1 in 5 people now claim to be teetotal and 1 in 2 people are moderating their alcohol intake.

That's why Soft Drinks have been growing in both volume and cash sales, and this trend set to continue. 

That's handy, because from cost effective draught solutions to premium and speciality packaged lines, Soft Drinks can deliver a great margin opportunity!

* MCA Easting Out Panel Full Year to December 2017

**The Grocer Dec 18

Key things to consider to create the perfect Soft Drinks range

Customer is King

Think about your core and occasional customers. Consider who your Soft drinks need to appeal to i.e. Younger/ Older; Male/ Female; Kids/ Teens.

Low and No

Sugar remains the No.1 concern for consumers purchasing Soft Drinks! Ensure your range meets this growing demand by offering a good selection of lower/no sugar Softs.

Tantalising Treats

With 35% of Guests on a treat mission in the licensed channel and 65% stating they would pay more for a Premium Soft drink! Are you catering for that special occasion? 

Food for Thought

1 in 2 eating out occasions feature a Soft Drink! Consider drinks that pair well with your food range. Adding a food pairing descriptor to your menu can enhance the Guest experience.

Seasonal Spend

Seasons and events like Summer, Easter, Christmas, or even the World Cup create increased socialising and anywhere from 20-80% uplift on Soft drinks. Why not consider an aspirational seasonal drinks range or special serve to satisfy guests?

Healthy Heroes

With 1 in 5 adults claiming they are tee-total, and 1 in 2 actively moderating alcohol, Soft Drinks are the No.1 alternative! Consider flexing your Total Drinks range and giving additional space to Softs to tap into this growing trend.

Soft Drinks can be divided into 6 categories:

The importance of each of these are dependent on the style of outlet, your customer base and affluence. 

Core Essentials

Your must have’s in every range; high volume and recognisable brands your guests would expect to see

Perfect Food Partners

Drinks that pair well with food to enhance the occasion

Mixing Must Haves

A must stock to compliment your Spirits range and entice with a signature drink

Premium & Crafted

A selective range to enable guests to trade up

Kids and Teens

An important range catering for Kids of all ages, on all occasions, and permissible by parents

Feel Good

For guests seeking healthier alternatives

Perfect food partners

As 'to go with my food', is a top driver of soft drink choice, providing a great range of softs to complement your food offer is a must.

• Britvic range suggestions
• J20 Spritz Pear & Raspberry
• J20 Spritz Apple & Watermelon
• J20 Spritz Peach & Apricot
• J20 Orange & Passion Fruit
• J20 Apple & Mango
• J20 Apple & Raspberry
• 7UP
• Pepsi NRB
• Pepsi Max NRB
• R.White's Raspberry Lemonade
• Robinsons Cordials range

Tip: it's important to choose brands with ingredients and flavours that pair well with your menu. See our food pairing guide for more information.

Core Essentials Range

These are the products that your guests expect to see, as you would expect they tend to be the biggest sellers in your range. We recommend stocking at least 13 core essential lines.

Draught 

• 2 x Cola
• 1 x Lemonade
  • Britvic range suggestions 
    • Pepsi Max
    • Pepsi Reg
    • R.White's Lemonade

Fruit Juice Drinks - Packaged 

• 3 x Fruit Based Drinks
  
  •  Britvic range suggestions
    • J2O Orange & Passionfruit
    • J2O Apple & Raspberry
    • J2O Apple & Mango

Bottled Water & Cordials

• 2 x Still and Sparkling Water
• 3 x Flavoured Cordials 
  • Britvic range suggestions
    • Britvic Cordials Lime,
    • Britvic Cordials Orange
    • Britvic Cordials Blackcurrant

Other lines to consider

• Fruit Flavoured Carbonated drinks
  • Britvic range suggestions 
    • 7up Free 330ml
    • Diet Pepsi 330ml

Mixing Must Haves

Mixing offers a great opportunity to elevate your serve. From delivering the perfect G&T to constructing more exotic cocktails and mocktails, a good range of mixers, juices are the core ingredients to complement you Spirits selection. 

For a Mainstream Food Pub we would recommend you stock 11-13 mixer & juice products.

Mixers (200ml)

• 2 x  Tonics (Regular and Low Cal)
• 4 x Soda Water, Ginger Ale and Bitter Lemon
• 1 x Energy Mixer 
  • Britvic range suggestions
    • Britvic Tonic
    • Britvic low cal Tonic
    • Britvic Bitter Lemon
    • Britvic Ginger Beer 
    • Britvic Ginger Ale
    • Britvic Soda Water

Juices (200ml)

• 4x Packaged fruit juices
  • Britvic range suggestions
    • Britvic Orange juice
    • Britvic Cranberry juice
    • Britvic Pineapple juice
    • Britvic Tomato juice

Tip: Don't forget, some of the core essential lines make excellent mixers as well, what would Jack Daniels be without a Cola. 

Kids and Teens

Don't forget the kids. 37% of visits in Food led pubs are with Kids that span different age group. Ensure you stock a wide range to cater for different ages and occasions.

We recommend a minimum of 4 products aimed at kids and teens.

Flavoured Fruit Juice Drinks

• 3 x Flavoured Fruit Juice Drinks
  • Britvic range suggestions
    • Fruit Shoot Orange
    • Fruit Shoot Apple & Blackcurrant
    • Fruit Shoot Hydro Apple & Raspberry

Tip: Teens are as likely to choose from the core essentials range of fruit drinks, carbonates and cordials.

Other products to consider

Although not essential for mainstream pubs, it is also worth considering trialing selected lines which may appeal to a different type of guest. 

Premium & Crafted

• A selective range to enable guests to trade up
  • Consider brands such as;
    • Robinsons Cordials Lime & Mint
    • Robinsons Cordials Rhubarb & orange blossom
    • R.White's Raspberry Lemonade
    • R.White's Pear & Elderflower

Feel Good

• For guests seeking healthier alternatives
  • Consider brands such as:
    • Britvic 100 Orange
    • Britvic 100 Apple

Tip: Feel Good, Premium and Crafted lines offer a great trade up opportunity for your outlet.